More Than Just Okay
by tootsiepop23
Summary: Stephanie is working with Ranger at Rangeman and living in his apartment. She's using his showergel. She's got her own side of the bed. Does it spell commitment or will she run back to Joe?
1. All I Could Think About

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. I really don't. Isn't that sad? pity me Any random characters you've never heard of… yeah, you could say I "own" them.

_A/N: This and another story I've posted on this site are my first Janet Evanovich fanfics so please don't be too cruel in your merciless mocking. Oh yes, and if you're going to insult my writing ability (or lack thereof) please take the time to spell check first!_

Chapter 1:  
All I Could Think About

My name is Stephanie Plum. Around Trenton, New Jersey I'm a bit famous for all the wrong reasons. Everywhere I go I hear "I saw your picture in the paper, you blew up that funeral home". Well, if it helps my case at all, it really just wasn't my fault. Not entirely, anyway.

Currently, I'm working as a bounty hunter for my cousin, Vinnie, at his bail bonds company. I have been for quite a while, now, and I've been shot at, stalked, chased, kidnapped, and any other awful thing that may come to mind. Somehow, I keep coming back to this job. Maybe it's because I need to pay the rent. Mostly I think it's because you can never have too many Tastykakes.

I have two big headaches in my life. One is in the form of Joe Morelli, sexy cop extraordinaire. He's that slightly rugged, raw sex god that most people only dream about being with. I've got him, sometimes, but most of the time we're both confused as to what the hell we've got. Now happens to be one of those times.

My second headache is much more mysterious. Ranger Manoso, the incognito Latino that makes my loins tingle at the sound of his voice. I'm pretty sure he knows it, I'm pretty sure he thinks its funny, and I'm pretty sure that should qualify him as a jerk, but he's much too muscular for a title like that. He makes us mere mortals quiver in his wake.

"Any FTAs for me, today?" I asked Connie, the big-breasted and slightly mustached secretary to my cousin, Vinnie. Her clothes are always too tight, but guys don't complain because her cleavage makes the Grand Canyon look like just a crack in the ground.

"A couple, neither of them is all that impressive." I took the files from her. One was Mooner, a friend of mine that I would take down to the station whenever I decided to make my way over to his house for some pizza. He was a frequent customer here.

The other was Mike Friolli, an old guy who liked to try to rob convenience stories with different rubber farm animals. I spotted that this time it was a rubber cow.

That meant there was little to no chance of me getting shot at or raped while picking them up. Yes. I like not getting mutilated, it makes my day easy to handle.

From the glazed, slightly gaping look on Connie's face I new either Lula had walked in with donuts or Ranger had arrived. Turning around, I saw that both were true. Ranger walked in and I saw Lula fanning herself with her hand from behind him, holding a bag of donuts in the other. I held back a smile and Ranger said, "Yo."

I gave him a nod, not really sure if I opened my mouth anything but carbon dioxide and saliva would come out. Recently, Ranger gave me a job at his company, Rangeman, for "my own protection" and all that, but I refused to give up my job as a bounty hunter completely. It kept my life interesting.

Connie handed Ranger a few files. Those were the files I shuddered to think about. The ones with the scary murders and rapists in them. The ones Vinnie knew better than to give to me. I'd either find dead bodies (I was rather good at that) or I'd die in the process. Neither of those things is any good for anyone, really. Except those poor decaying bodies.

"I need to talk to you, outside," Ranger said, after he'd flipped through the files in his hand. His eyes met mine and for a moment I forgot to breathe. I nodded and, grabbing a donut from the now open bag on the desk, followed him outside. Lula gave me a wink and then stared most obviously at Ranger's butt as he walked out.

Ranger walked over to his shiny, black car and he leaned against it, staring at me with dark, impenetrable eyes. His gaze made me feel very much like I wasn't wearing any panties. I swallowed hard and tried to keep a straight face. "Are you still planning on working at Rangeman?"

"If I can, yes." As much as I hated to admit it, it was comforting to know that Ranger was protecting me. If there were something out there that wanted to kill me that was big and bad enough to get through Ranger, I'd be up at the great Bingo game in the sky with my Grandpa Mazur. However, I wasn't sure there was anything that indestructible. I had the distinct thought that Big Blue would fail me before Ranger would.

"You've got a job, but the apartment you'd been staying at is no longer available." This statement reminded me of a certain not-so-PG rated dream I'd had the other night. I shook those thoughts out of my head before I let them progress any further than necessary.

"I can stay at my apartment, that's sort of why I pay rent there." I shook my head with a smile. The fact I pay the rent there is why I was so desperate for a job in the first place. I like my apartment.

"I want you to have a place to stay at Rangeman. You can always stay in my apartment with me." I couldn't hide the uncomfortable feeling that settled somewhere near my liver. It made me kind of want to puke. Honestly, though, the heavy-duty surveillance was something that I had grown to love. Screw my pride; I felt that, at this point, I needed the protection. Just not the "I'll go out and have a life and you stay here and sit on your butt for hours on end or I'll have one of my men taser you" kind of protection. That protection was bull. Not protection at all. I am not a pet. Though I do have a pet, Rex. He's my hamster and my best non-humanoid friend.

"I could live there full-time?" Mental headslap. I hate it when I open my mouth and crap falls out before I can retrieve it, beat it, and throw it out.

Ranger seemed to be toying with the idea of a smile. Instead he just raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I suppose you could."

"Yes. That would be great." Is my brain even connected to my mouth anymore? My brain whimpered and wanted to kick my mouth and I'm not sure, but I think it tried.

"Ella will be glad to hear it," Ranger said and gave me a set of keys. I wanted to ask how he was so sure I'd agree to stay with him but I bit my tongue. Flipping through the keys, I recognized the keys to get into the office building and a few car keys that were bound to be from expensive, black cars of unknown origin. Ranger seemed to have an abundance of new cars that would make most people around these parts want to wet themselves.

"I miss Ella's cooking." Ranger smiled just slightly at that. "I miss your shower gel." He shook his head slowly from side to side. "You have orgasmic shower gel!"

He pulled me close to him and said in a deep whisper into my ear, "Is it the shower gel or the fact it reminds you of me?" I had the distinct urge to run. Or kiss him. Or have an orgasm on the spot. Most of all, I got the feeling that I had no idea what I was getting into.

--

Later that day I made my way to Ranger's seventh floor apartment in a sleepy, pizza-filled daze. Mooner had quite willingly made his contribution to my rent check by going in without a fight. Of course, we sat down and watched some TV first. And what is TV without pizza? And who is to judge whether or not beer enhances the taste of pizza? We decided we'd rather be safe than sorry.

I unlocked the door and went in. I'd forgotten what this place looked like. It was roomy and well decorated. It smelled of Ranger and it had been my home away from home a while ago, so I knew where everything was. I tossed my keys into the holder and threw my coat over the back of the chair.

Yawning widely, I made my way to the bedroom and walked in. "Hey Ranger," I said, seeing his frame standing by the dresser. It took me a few beats to realize he was only in a towel. I felt my heart start beating out of my chest but I tried to keep my cool. I suck at trying to keep my cool.

"Babe," he said, giving me a nod.

I closed my eyes so I couldn't see him anymore and felt my way past him using the bed. I finally reached the bathroom to take a quick shower. I could hear him laughing from the next room and I felt slightly angry that he found me so entertaining. However, going in there to say something to him would require seeing him nearly nude and I wasn't sure my poor heart was ready for that.

I did the shower thing _with_ the incredibly sexy body wash (okay, so I have no will power, can you blame me? The stuff smells of a sexy, muscular Latino) and toweled my hair dry. I was much too lazy to actually do anything with it.

Walking into the bedroom in a towel seemed like the last thing I wanted to do, but I was not about to put my same clothes back on if I could help it. I swallowed the orange that seemed to have settled in my throat.

Ranger was lying on the bed, reading something but I couldn't focus my vision enough to figure out just what it was. His eyes flickered to mine and then made their way slowly down my body. Just being eyed up by Ranger was a sexual experience.

"I don't have any non work clothes to change into," I said, trying to ignore the pounding his gaze caused in the lower half of my body.

"Is that such a bad thing?" the tiniest hint of a smile played on his lips before he spoke again. "You can borrow some of my clothes until I have someone bring yours up."

The odd question of me not having any clean panties would have to be addressed tomorrow, too, because I couldn't bring myself to speak anymore. Turning around to face his dresser I opened the correct drawers to find myself a shirt and, hoping he may not notice even though I felt his gaze on me, I opened the top drawer to find that one silk pair of boxers lay folded there. I mumbled something and rushed off to the bathroom to change.

Pulling on his shirt and his boxers, I had time to think. Ranger had looked really good, hair tied back in a ponytail, chiseled muscles crying out for my touch. I shook my head. I had to stop letting him do this to me. I had some self-control, dammit. I think.

I stared at myself in the mirror. Damp curls hung down all around my face and my eyes made me look nearly as tired as I was. I gave myself a weak smile and turned to leave the bathroom.

Strolling into the bedroom, I realized that I really liked the feel of the silk boxers against my skin, the elastic of them sitting on my hips comfortably. He looked up again and smiled. "I like you in my clothes."

I offered a smile and turned back to the bathroom to grab my dirty laundry. I quickly walked out to put my things next to my jacket; I covered them up with it so as to avoid drawing any unwanted attention to my undergarments.

I made my way back to the bedroom around the bed, to my side of it. My side? I had a side? Oh Lord. Having a side of the bed was almost like commitment. Wait. Commitment… with Ranger? Who was I kidding?

I slipped under the covers and stared over at Ranger whose gaze was already meeting mine. I swallowed hard. He set down the folder he'd been reading absent-mindedly and kissed my forehead before turning over on his side, away from me. A kiss on the forehead?

"You didn't even yell at me for wearing your silk boxers," I said, feeling the need to talk to him. I didn't talk to all that many people lately and I was in need of some companionship. My hamster was still at Joe's and I was much too stubborn to go pick him up.

Ranger turned back around, a smile evident on his face. "Why are you wearing my silk boxers?"

Urm. To tell the truth or not to tell the truth? "I… urr. I don't have _any_ clean clothes." I decided to be subtle. It's not as horrible to say to him that way. I blushed a deep shade of crimson and he smiled full on this time. His hands reached out for my hips under the covers and pulled me close to him. He kissed me full on the lips and I, being female and all that, couldn't stop myself from kissing him back. He pulled away and I mentally kicked myself. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Stop that.

"You can wear my clothes any time you want," he said in a husky voice. I gazed into his eyes and felt the lust building inside me. So maybe I have no self-control but his half-naked body was looking incredibly delicious.

However, he turned back over. I let out a tiny whimper, mentally begging him to turn back over. I said nothing. I just stared at him.

Nothing else happened after he turned over. We both knew why, too. All I could think about was Joe.


	2. The Last Thing on my Mind

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. I really don't. Isn't that sad? pity me Any random characters you've never heard of… yeah, you could say I "own" them.

_A/N: Thanks for all the kind reviews. I've been sort of writing this as it comes but I might take the time one of these days to write bunches of chapters and add once every two days or so. Tell me how often you'd like me to add. And again… insult me articulately, if at all._

Chapter 2:  
The Last Thing on my Mind

"Well fuck you too!" I slammed the phone down and turned my eyes angrily toward the floor. Joe and I had just had another fight. The same crap... "Your job is too dangerous. Why do I have to be in love with someone that finds dead bodies more often than she makes love to me?"

The statistic might have been nearly accurate. So what? He had no right to boss me around and treat me like Bob. At least he gave Bob some food every once in a while. He would give Bob belly rubs. Lately he hasn't given me anything but a migraine.

"Babe." Ranger walked in and stared at me for a beat.

"Joe Morelli is a dick." I said, glaring at the telephone receiver. I had neglected to mention that I was going commando in a pair of Ranger's silk boxers and one of his shirts. I thought it would spare Morelli more anger. That was me trying to be considerate of his feelings. Now? Now I wanted to tell him just to piss him off.

Suddenly, I realized that I really needed to get Rex back. I missed him. He wouldn't make me feel stupid for feeling as confused and pissed off as I did at that moment. Sometimes I thought he only loved me because I fed him, but other times the way his little butt moved in the Campbell's soup can in his cage really comforted me. Maybe he was just burrowing to get comfortable but it helped my mental stability a lot.

"What happened?" Ranger stepped closer and I noticed how well his muscles stood out from his black shirt. I noticed how his pants gripped his body tight and accentuated his bold features. His hair was in a tight ponytail and his eyes were dark, as usual. His penetrating gaze made my nipples harden.

Suddenly I realized that I wasn't wearing a bra and he could very well see that. His face turned up into a smile. He reached out a hand and gently rubbed my arm. I jerked back, as we both knew I would. The way he toyed with me was making me increasingly agitated. Again, he knew that. He's Batman, of course he knew that, he's got all those super powers. Wait. Did Batman have super powers? No, I think he just had a super awesome car, a super awesome suit, and super awesome gadgets that would make scientists say "Well why didn't _we_ think of that?". Oh well, those are still things most people don't have.

"Another of those 'why do you have to be a Bounty Hunter? Why can't you stay home and take care of Bob or something else less dangerous?' conversations. He always wants to change my occupation. Okay, so there are a few hazards to it…"

"Like getting shot at, kidnapped, threatened and blowing up various vehicles that could've had you in them."

"Right. But _you_ never tell me to change my job. Why should he? Does he just care more about my safety?"

"No." That was all he said and all he needed to say. Ranger didn't lie very often and the conviction in his voice was nearly palpable.

"I just don't… know what to do anymore," I looked at the floor for a moment. I could cry in front of Rex, but I couldn't let myself do it in front of Ranger. It would seem… wrong. I felt bad for taking advantage of Therapist Rex when I had him. I'd have to let him know how sorely he was missed whenever I worked up the courage to get him back from Morelli.

"That never stopped you before, Babe."

I looked up at Ranger, wondering what on earth went through his head. I wondered if he thought about the same things I did. I knew he didn't because, most of the time, I thought about pineapple upside-down cake.

"That's it! That's what I need. Where's Ella? Can I talk to Ella?" I perked up and looked around. Duh. Phone. Where's the phone? I was just on the phone. Right.

I dialed six on the phone and her gentle voice answered with, "Yes, Ranger?"

"This is Stephanie…"

"Oh, Stephanie. What can I do you for?"

"I need some pineapple upside down cake. STAT."

I hung up the phone and sat down with a smile. Cake was like Valium, for me. I knew once I had cake, everything else would sort of fall in place… especially a little extra weight around my hips, but who cares? I'd run it off some time… maybe. Next week. Yeah. Next week I'd run off the extra calories. Or maybe next month.

"Only you would make a craving for cake sound like a medical emergency." Ranger shook his head and I found myself gazing at his features, again. His mocha-colored skin stretched over mounds of muscles gave me goose bumps. His smile, though not seen much, was filled with perfectly white, perfectly straight teeth that made the Orthodontists worldwide curse his good genes. There was a certain mystery about his eyes that made him seem sexy and untouchable and his hair was always back in a tight pony tail giving him that bad ass look. Attractive? Yes. Dangerous? Definitely. The man of my dreams? It seemed that way, sometimes.

"Babe? You've got that look on your face like you've just seen a particularly fattening piece pie. You going to try to devour me?" Maybe I am, said a little voice in my head but I just put on a smile.

"Just thinking about that pineapple upside-down cake. It's going to be delicious," I licked my lips for emphasis and his eyes got a tad bit darker. It was times like this that I felt like I had a power. I blame my need for attention on that damned second X chromosome. Chalk up everything crazy thing I did to insanity and my ovaries.

"Ella is a great cook," he said, nodding his head in general agreement.

"Great? More like insanely magical. When I think about her cake… it makes me want to… I don't know. Do a dance or something. Yes. A dance. The 'I've got cake and it's so yummy' dance. Patented by yours truly." I did a wacky little dance that involved shaking my butt and an odd mix between the Macarena and the monkey. Ranger raised an eyebrow and I just shrugged. "Some people don't enjoy the finer things in life."

"Like fattening foods that will make your butt wiggle when you walk and slow you down when you're trying to apprehend someone? You're right. I just don't find the joy in that."

"You're really uptight, dude."

"Dude?" Ranger winced at that word. He shook his head slowly from side to side. "Babe."

"Let's go do something," I said, tired of being around the apartment for so long. "I thought I had more practice with you today with my gun?" I asked. I had forgotten about that stinking promise I made to him that I'd have practice with him in the shooting range downstairs so I could be more comfortable with my .38. The practice had helped considerably but now it just scared me how relaxed I felt with it. I didn't want to be one of those people that didn't think twice about blowing someone's head off. I mean _I_ certainly wouldn't want _my_ head blown off. It would mean I would die. That would mean no more cake. It would also be incredibly messy. I could imagine Grandma Mazur trying her darndest to pry open the casket at my funeral.

"Yes," he looked at his watch. "Why don't you go get ready? Your things are sitting on the couch."

I looked over and, hell, there they were. I swear those weren't there five seconds ago when I looked. Damn Ranger and his merry men. So quiet and inconspicuous all the time. It creeped me out. I nodded, grabbed one of my bags, and headed into the bathroom.

Walking out a few minutes later in tight, spandex shorts and my usual semi-revealing, black Rangeman shirt made me nostalgic for the silky comfort of Ranger's clothing. I had to admit that it made me feel less vulnerable to know that I was, indeed, wearing all my undergarments. I'd thrown my hair up in a pony tail and shoved it through the back of a baseball cap before heading out to find Ranger deep in conversation on the telephone. He was speaking so quickly I could barely make out anything he was saying. There was the occasional "yeah" and the occasional "the" or "oh" that I caught, but other than that…

Snapping his phone shut, he nodded that I follow him and we made our way out of the apartment. I grabbed my shoulder bag and pulled out my .38 Smith and Wessen and followed him down the hall and into the elevator. I had gotten used to roaming the halls of this building and I'd been introduced to many of the tall, muscular Rangeman employees. It almost made me wonder whether mandatory parts of any Ranger employee were Unabomber, anti-social tendencies.

--

We entered the empty shooting gallery (it was always empty when Ranger and I had our little practice sessions) and stopped at the first lane. He watched me load my gun and nodded his approval of my technique.

I had improved a lot since our first trip down here. My grip was steadier, my eye was more precise but it seemed that today I just couldn't shoot the damned thing right. I sighed and threw the gun against the wall. "You have failed me!"

Ranger bent down to pick up my gun and the odd angle at which Venus was to Mars made me stare most delightfully at Ranger's muscular rear. I could almost hear the laughter from the control room; I knew they always enjoyed times when I wandered out of Ranger's apartment. It was like daytime television. I shook a fist at random places around the room where I suspected cameras might be. I knew they would laugh harder at that.

"You shouldn't blame your gun. You're just having an off day, Babe." He said as he handed my gun back to me. I took aim and shot another round off, missing horribly.

"Damn Morelli for making me suck at this."

"Babe, you're blaming everyone but yourself. You even blamed an inanimate object." Yeah. It sounded stupid when he said it out loud and logically like that. "You're just off because of pent-up emotions. Here, let me show you."

He came up behind me and helped me take aim, his body wrapped almost all the way around mine. I found myself leaning back into him with a small smile. He moved my arms into the proper position and helped me steady my aim. Damn. I could smell his shower gel.

It enticed me and made me lick my lips with a light whimper as his fingers pushed mine down onto the trigger. Right through the X in the middle of the paper man at the end of the lane. Poor guy. He never had a chance.

Looking up at Ranger, I saw his gaze was locked with mine as I lowered my arms and my gun clattered to the floor. Much to his surprise, and mine, I kissed him passionately on the lips. After a moment's shock, he seemed to give in. With one arm, he pulled my small frame to him. A chorus of "oh shit" and "damn it, damn it, damn it" went off in my brain.

There was a small remote in his pocket that could make certain cameras go salt and pepper at his command and I heard the click as he pushed the button. There was a collective moan of disappointment in the control room but it was the last thing on my mind.


	3. Cake vs Friends

A/N: _Yeah. I haven't added in a while and this addition is crap-like. Sorry about that, I wrote it a bit late._

**Chapter 3: Cake vs. Friends**

A bolt of pleasure and excitement shot through my body. I couldn't handle this. It was too intense. It was too hot. It was too _Ranger_. I pulled away from him. We both knew I would eventually chicken out. His touch is like fire – too much of it burns.

He clicked the remote in his pocket again and his dark eyes seemed impatient for a moment but I knew I had imagined it. I couldn't read Ranger and I hated it.

A sigh escaped his lips. "We're done." What a loaded statement. What did it mean?

I sighed and stared at my feet, rolling my eyes. What the hell was I thinking, agreeing to live with Ranger? That just wasn't going to work. What was I thinking _kissing_ Ranger? I felt like crying but I wanted to be a big girl and… wait until I got to my room. I realized that Ranger might be up there. For the first time, it hit me how much I needed a space to run to that was Ranger-free.

I thought about heading to Vinnie's to visit Lula and Connie but then I remembered how Ella was making me cake. Damn. The eternal question: cake or friends?

I weighed the pros and cons. Cake meant I would have to see Ranger but cake also meant… _cake_. Going to see Lula meant Ranger-free time but no cake, or at least no Ella-made cake.

A group of Rangemen came in while I was debating. I spotted Lester. I hopped up and walked over to him. "Lester, I have a hypothetical question for you." He nodded. "If someone held a gun to your head and asked you which was more important, cake with some possible bad company or friends with no cake, which would you say?"

He shook his head and barked with laughter. "Only you, Bombshell, only you. For me, it would be friendship. For you, I'd say cake."

I sighed and put my hand on my hip. "Damn. That's what I figured too." A plot formulated in my head. Perhaps I could rush up there, grab the cake and run without Ranger ever seeing me. One problem: that could possibly involve actual running. I could drop the cake.

I could try to be sneaky but that would be a cruel form of entertainment for Batman. A brighter idea: I could try to intercept the cake before it arrived at Ranger's apartment. That could get complicated. Hmm.

"I see the gears are turning pretty quickly up there. There's cake involved, after all. I'll leave you to it," Lester said, preparing to walk away.

"Wait, Lester! You could go get the cake for me! Go into Ranger's apartment and…"

He barked with laughter once more. "Yeah, I'm going to try to break into Ranger's apartment. Do you think I have a death wish?"

"I have a key. It wouldn't be breaking in." I pouted at him. "He could be in a meeting or something. He may never know."

"If he's in a meeting, why don't you just go up there?" I shook my head and my eye started twitching. "Okay. I know he'll be in a meeting in…" he checked his watch, "Five minutes. Just go up there and get your cake then."

I eyed him conspicuously. "You wouldn't lie to me, would you, Les?"

"Not when it involves cake. I feel as though my personal safety would be in jeopardy if I deprived you of cake," I nodded in agreement. He would be in pain.

"Thanks, Les." I gave him a quick hug and walked at a brisk pace to the elevator. I waited outside the elevator for four minutes before I got too impatient to stay there. Oh how I had longed for Ella's cooking all those weeks at Joe's house. His grandmother had brought over the occasional dish but I felt too sick with worry over The Eye to try to eat any of it. I never thought I would be too distraught to eat.

I hummed a little to myself as I waited for the doors to open. They did and Tank was in the elevator already. "Hey, Tank." He gave me one of those ambiguous head nods. I never understood those but I gave him what seemed more like a head twitch as a response. He gave me the hint of a smile and shook his head.

"See you, Bombshell," he walked off on the fourth floor and I held my breath as the floors between me and possibly Ranger, between me and cake, continued to _ding_ away. Five. Six. And, after I whipped out my card key hesitantly, seven. At first, I thought the floor was Ranger-free. However, upon looking further I saw him walk out of the apartment. Damn.

I walked briskly down the hall, trying to look as though I didn't care he was there, but secretly hoping my childhood fantasy of becoming invisible had finally come true. Ranger was a man of few words. He gave me a meaningful look and headed down the hall. That was worse than silence. Now I had to wonder what that look meant. I glared at the back of his head as he disappeared through the doors of the elevator. They closed before he turned around.

After getting into the apartment, I leaned up against the door and hit my head against it a few times for good measure. There was no way living here would work. I packed up my belongings as quickly as I could and grabbed the cake off the table. Thank God for people like Ella.

I made it out of Rangeman unscathed. I threw my bag in the back of the car but took special time to set the cake in the passenger's seat and put a seatbelt on it. Ella had thought to put a cover on it so there was no fear of damage to the structural integrity.

"What are you doing?" Bobby's voice floated into the window. He eyed the bag in the back seat as he beeped his car locked. "Does Ranger know you're leaving?"

I debated lying to him but he could see it in my eyes. Why do my eyes have to speak for me all the time? I shook my head.

"He is not going to be happy. Why are you leaving?"

"I can't live in that apartment with him. There are too many emotions hanging around and too many things I can't work out with him near me all the time. He said there weren't any apartments left that I could have so I'm just going back to my apartment."

"First of all, you know that isn't going to work. As if Ranger would just let you move back into that apartment. It's a magnet for creeps and weirdoes of the homicidal kind. And second of all, an apartment opened up on the fourth floor today. Someone got fired," he winced at the thought. "I'm sure you could stay there, Bombshell."

I cast a look at the cake in the passenger's seat. "What do you think?"

Of course, the cake didn't talk back. I mumbled to myself, "This is why I have a hamster. At least he wiggles his butt at me in an almost verbal manner."

Bobby shook his head at me. "Come on inside. There's no need to piss Ranger off by running away. You don't have to deal with it when you're gone but he's hellacious whenever you leave and he doesn't think you're safe."

I sighed and nodded. I needed to get to work, anyway. I left my bag and grabbed the cake, heading inside with Bobby.


End file.
